Hindsight is 2020
by CMarisa
Summary: ***Warning story was created after reading recent spoilers, and may reference them****  She was stupid, so stupid. Even as she had told herself not to fall for Dante Falconari, she knew she was making only a half-hearted effort.
1. Chapter 1

Hind Sight is 20/20 Chapter 1

She was stupid, so stupid. How could she have let this happen again? After Johnny, she saw it so clearly. She made promises to herself. It would never happen again. Never again would she let any man get close to her, get into her heart. Nope, never again would she be broken hearted.

God she was stupid! Even as she had told herself not to fall for Dante Falconeri, she knew she was only making a half hearted effort to stay away. She knew better, but somehow she couldn't stop herself. His stupid grin, and those cheesy pick-up lines had chipped away at her protective walls. Walls that were, apparently not very well built.

And now look at her, once again crying herself to sleep over some guy. Another man had found his way into her life only to be distracted away by another woman. Dillon had never really wanted her, he had loved Georgie. Logan slept with Maxie. Then as Johnny pulled away from her, he too had turned to Maxie. And despite all her fucking promises she still let Dante into her life, let him lie to her. He loved Brenda, was obsessed with her.

Lulu laughed to herself for a minute, well at least this time it wasn't Maxie that her boyfriend betrayed her for. And so even as the tears streamed down her face Lulu laughed, yes she was making progress. This time her boyfriend left her for a supermodel, and when you thought about it, well how could any man resist that?

It was cold and Lulu pulled the covers tighter around her body, curling up into a tight ball. Damn this drafty old place. How could Nikolas stand to live here? Wasn't he freezing all the time? Even with a fire burning in the fireplace on the opposite wall, Lulu felt that she may never be warm again.

Before she even realized she was moving, she was on her feet and walking over to the wardrobe. She knew she shouldn't, even told herself "No". But just like before she didn't listen and pulled the door open. She knew just where she had stashed it. Way in the back behind her bulky sweaters, it was her little secret. One of Dante's pullover hoodies. It wasn't his favorite and he may not have even realized it was gone yet. But he had worn it enough for it to smell like him. The night she had gone to the loft to get her things she had taken it. She saw it there in the top drawer and she couldn't help herself. She had shoved it into her bag with the rest of her belongings and stormed right out the door.

She smiled a bit to herself to think about what Dante's face might have looked like when he returned home to find his apartment basically torn apart. She had spent so much time there, her things were everywhere and she hadn't exactly been careful when packing. In fact it was quite the opposite she had basically trashed his place and it felt good. She trashed his place, like he had trashed her heart.

She pulled the hoodie close to her and breathed in its scent. Letting it wash over her and remembering when she would sleep in his arms. She had always thought it was funny how smells could trigger memories. Like how the smell of a Christmas tree, or really any pine needles could take her back to Christmases long ago. When her mom and dad would put that angel on the top of the tree, then stand back and just admire it for a few moments. It always seemed like they were sharing a private conversation in those moments, and it made her feel safe, it made her feel loved.

Lulu pulled the hoodie over head and pushed her arms into the sleeves. It was way too big for her. But now wrapped in its warmth and surrounded by his smell she felt warmer, felt safe again, if just for a few fleeting seconds.

She knew had to stop wearing it to bed. The more she wore it the less it smelled like him, and soon it would not be able to soothe her. She needed to move on, to be able to sleep without it. Just not tonight, she thought as she climbed back into bed.

He didn't even know where she was. Nobody did really. The night that she found out the truth, the night her heart was shattered she knew she had to get away. She thought about going back to her apartment, but he would surely go there. He may even look for her at Lucky's, then he would try to sweet talk her again. Try to sell her the same old lies, about love and fate, and all that garbage.

She couldn't go to Carly's not after the way she had betrayed her. She never for a moment considered the Quatermaine's an option. That was the last thing she needed, Tracy giving her the "I told you so" look. So she had gone to Wyndamere. Shown up on Nikolas' door shivering with a few hastily packed bags. He of course hadn't turned her away and even agreed to keep her presence a secret, after a little convincing that is.

She made him swear that he wouldn't tell a soul, not even Lucky. Lucky worked too closely with Dante, he might let it slip. Yes, the fewer who knew the better. After a few days she had confided in Maxie when she needed a few more items from the apartment, but she had also made Maxie swear, cross her heart and hope to die, that she would not tell a living soul. If needed she could tell Kate that she was visiting her mom in Paris, but not to expect her back anytime soon. She didn't really care about that job anymore, she had plans to start over, to go somewhere brand new and be a totally different person. Maybe she would even start to call herself Leslie.

Lulu had sent a few "I'm alive, don't worry texts" to Ethan, Lucky and her dad. Though as time passed on she thought they might know where she was hiding. But they weren't telling and she loved them for it.

That was nearly 5 weeks ago. Even she couldn't believe it. Where had the days gone? It was funny how sleeping so much really made the time pass.

Now as she lay in bed, she felt her eyes grow heavy and thought about the next part of her plan. It would be time to move on soon. She just had a choice to make, Phoenix, or Seattle? These places had been chosen by randomly pointing to the map. She hadn't hit them dead on, but her finger was close enough. She didn't want a small town she wanted a city that she could get lost in, a place that she wouldn't stand out.

Lulu tapped her belly and said "So what do you think, desert or forests?"

No answer ,maybe she could flip a coin.

*** Okay, so after reading some spoilers and seeing the Sweeps promo I haven't stopped thinking about how the next few months will play out. Really I'm just writing this to make myself feel better, but I hope it will help some of my fellow Lante lovers as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Hindsight chapter 2

Hey guys, I was so tickled to get all the reviews and favorites. That really made my day

Just hang in there, I don't want to drag it out very long but I do have an idea of where I want this story to go, and sadly there will be a little more angst, can't help myself. I think this story helps me because I can control what will happen. Don't trust Guza too much right now. But rest assured Lante is safe in my hands.

Chapter 2

He was stupid. An idiot. A stupid fucking idiot. How could he have messed up so badly? How did he ruin the very best part of his life? But then he knew how, lies. All the lies he had told, all the deception. It made him tired just to think about all of it. But it wasn't like he was sleeping these days. He had nightmares. Nightmares that he may never see her again, terrible dreams in which she was in danger but he couldn't find her. Even while awake he couldn't focus he constantly thought back over the last few months. Trying to see where it had all come undone, pretending that if he analyzed it enough he could somehow undo the mistakes and make everything alright again.

He was late for work, really late. He stole a glance at the clock. His shift had started at 8am, it was now eking toward 11am. He was gonna hear it from Mac when he got in, but right now all he could do was sit. That morning he had woken up on time, showered, dressed, eaten breakfast and talked with Michael before he had gone to school. He was just about to leave when a glint caught his eye. The morning light was reflecting off something by the foot of the bed.

When he picked it up he realized it was one of Lulu's stray earrings. At first he smiled, he remembered how she would forget to take them out before bed and would always end up loosing one, sometimes both. Then it had hit him, she wasn't coming back for it. He had sat down on the edge of the bed then and hadn't moved since. He could still feel the small piece of silver clutched in his hand. He held on tight, as if he could somehow hold on to her with this last possession she had left behind.

He still remembered the night he had come home to find the loft trashed. He had instinctively drawn his gun as he went to investigate. At first he thought nothing was missing, the TV, stereo, even his laptop were all accounted for. That's when he began to notice that all of her things were gone. Her robe from the back of the bathroom door, her spare set of clothes she kept in his closet, even her toothbrush. No this wasn't a break-in, it was a break-up.

He dialed her cell, turned off. He called her apartment, only the answering machine picked up.

He called Maxie next, but only received a busy signal. She was obviously rejecting his calls. Finally, he called Lucky. That was painful. He felt so stupid as he practically begged Lucky to tell him where Lulu had gone. He had given up when it became clear that Lucky was just as surprised as he was.

But was he really surprised? He had felt her pulling away. The last few weeks he had seen less and less of her. She was jealous and insecure because of Brenda, he knew that. She had told him not to get pulled into her vortex. She just hadn't known then that Dante had been sucked in a long time ago.

Still he wasn't sure what had made her pack and run. What did she know? Had he been exposed? He had to get answers. How could he fix it when he didn't know exactly where it had broken?

Several days later, he managed to track down Maxie at Jakes, and corner her. He held his ground, he wasn't going anywhere until he knew what happened with Lulu and neither was Maxie. Finally she relented and confessed that Lulu knew everything. Carly could smell secrets from miles away and had made it her sole mission to find the truth and expose Dante and Brenda.

After her investigating had lead to a picture of him with Brenda from three years before, he should have come totally clean. He should have told Lulu everything. Instead he stuck with his story that his guarding Brenda had been so inconsequential that he hadn't even thought it important enough to share.

Over the next few days, the situation with the Balkan grew more intense. The Balkan was closing in on Brenda and had almost grabbed her right out from under Jason's protection. A shoot out ensued. A stray bullet had ricocheted off an old propane tank in the alley causing an explosion. Incinerating the Balkan in an instant.

No one grieved that loss, it was practically celebrated. At the time even Lulu had seemed more at ease. But that didn't stop Carly, no, she knew there was more and was bound and determined to find it.

What she found must have been like a dream come true for her. Evidence and a witness of sorts to an affair between himself and Brenda. In one fell swoop she had what she needed to hurt everyone she wanted revenge on.

As Maxie had explained to him, Carly had called Lulu over and told her everything. Showed her all the pictures she had found, let her meet his old partner that had sold him out. Apparently, he had been following Brenda and Dante, suspicious of their relationship. He had heard the confession of love, the offer to raise a baby together. A baby that had never been born, a life lost before given a single breath.

Carly had then gone on to hypothesize that had the baby lived, maybe Brenda and Dante would have been married by now, living as a family. Driving it home, she had asked Lulu, "but didn't he say that he had only ever loved you?"

According to Maxie this had been the worst part for her. Lulu may have been able to accept a past relationship between him and Brenda. She knew he had been with other women, she had a past too. But it was the lies about first time love that had made her feel betrayed. She no longer trusted the things he had said, wasn't sure she could trust him ever again.

Why was he so stupid? Why had he said that to her? He knew now that what he had felt for Brenda was not love. It was a crush, an infatuation that grew from the intense situation that they were in together.

After the cover –up, he told himself to forget her. He knew for it to work he would never again speak to or lay eyes on Brenda Barrett. So he told himself it hadn't happened, that he didn't love her, didn't even know her. And you know what they say about lying to yourself, you keep at it long enough and you'll believe to be the truth too.

When Dante had met Lulu, fallen in love with her, he had told her his "truth" he hadn't been in love before, never even spoken those words.

He should have known better than to try and keep the secrets once Brenda had turned up in Port Charles. Like his Nona had always told him the truth will come out. He had had a front row view of it when his mother's lies had been exposed. Still he had stuck to his story, and now he had lost everything.

The days without Lulu stretched on, but the nights were worse. He swore he could still smell her on his pillows, in his sheets. He would never wash his bedding again.

So here he sat with the last piece of Lulu that he had, a single earring. And as he held it tight, he knew he was going to find her, convince her to forgive him. Then make sure that everyday for the rest of his life, she knew that he loved her, loved her more than life its self.

****Okay, I hope that wasn't too hard on you guys. I really wanted to show Dante's point of view, and I wanted to build some background before moving the story ahead. Hope you enjoyed it!****


	3. Chapter 3

Hindsight Ch3

Almost two weeks after Lulu had made her retreat to Wyndemere she found out that she was pregnant. She was blindsided. She didn't know how this could have happened. They were always so careful, she had made sure of that. But now here she was, living proof that no "protection" was one hundred percent effective.

Sure there were signs, she had felt sick over the past few weeks. But she chalked that up to being utterly heartbroken and sleep deprived. Stress could really take it out of you. Then one morning she woke up to her stomach rolling and very sore breasts. It had struck her like a lightening bolt. She couldn't even remember her last period. She was always so busy keeping track of Kate's schedule that she never managed to write anything on her own calendar. She sat for a few minutes letting the nausea pass and trying to remember.

Desperate she had called Maxie, who rushed straight over with what seemed like every over-the-counter pregnancy test available. She must have peed on ten of those things, all positive. Lulu had kept up a brave front while Maxie was there, but after she was gone, she let go. She cried and cried. She was scared, frustrated, angry. She felt like such a cliché, like some silly girl in those romantic comedies that finds her self knocked up and alone. That's how Lulu felt, alone.

That is how Nikolas had found her, crying over her pregnancy tests. He had said anything, just hugged her and let her cry.

The next morning Nikolas had insisted that she have a check-up. They were very careful to go directly from the launch to the car and straight on to Mercy hospital, across town from GH and away from prying eyes.

The doctor had told Lulu that she was about seven weeks along. She felt as if the ground was slipping out from under her. Until the doctor had confirmed it, Lulu had been sure it was all a big mistake. But she was pregnant and nearly two months along. The doctor scheduled an ultrasound for two weeks later and sent Lulu home with biggest prenatal vitamins she had ever seen. How in the world was she meant to swallow those?

It still didn't feel real to her, she told herself she was pregnant, and she examined her belly everyday. Maybe there was a bit of a bump there, but not really. Could she be the world's worst mother already? She wasn't even sure how she felt about this whole thing yet.

By thirteen weeks things began to change for Lulu. She swore she could feel the baby move, even though the doctor said it may just be gas. Lulu knew it was her baby, after all this baby was a Spencer and wouldn't be sitting still in there. She was finally beginning to recognize the baby on the ultrasound pictures, and she was feeling more excited by the day.

Lulu thought about calling Dante. She wanted her baby to know his father. She had seen too many times what keeping those kind of secrets did to the children. Dante may have broken her heart but he would be a great dad, even if it was long distance.

Even as Lulu's belly and excitement grew, she knew she still wanted a fresh start. A new place where she could reinvent herself put all of the past hurt behind her and enjoy a new life with her baby.

One night Lulu had a beautiful dream. She was standing on the front lawn of a cozy little house. The sun was high in the sky as she watched an adorable little boy, with dark eyes and shaggy brown hair, run through a sprinkler in the grass. When she awoke, Lulu knew that the dream was about her new life in Phoenix. Her mind was made up. Phoenix would be totally different from Port Charles and that was just what Lulu wanted.

From that day on Lulu knew what she would do, and she was convinced she was having a little boy. She spent most of her days planning for her new life in Arizona. She looked for jobs, and researched places to live. Planning made Lulu happy, it gave her a sense of control.

Lulu planned to leave for Arizona by mid-January. Nikolas had insisted she stay through the holidays, then he would travel with her to Arizona to make sure she got settled in and was safe.

It was nearly Christmas now and Lulu actually looked forward to the New Year. Still every night she slept with Dante's hoodie and thought of him as she fell asleep.

*** Okay so don't start throwing things yet. Lulu may be making plans, but life doesn't always go according to plan. Thanks so much for the reviews, and favorites, they make me giggle with joy!


	4. Chapter 4

Hindsight ch4

"Give her time", that's what they all said. Well actually only a few people said that , really just his Ma and Lucky. Everyone else took a far different approach, mostly along the lines of 'he got what he deserved'. One day he had seen Tracy at the hospital and the stare she had fixed on him could have frozen hell.

But it really didn't matter to him what they all thought. He had made up his mind to get Lulu back and he wouldn't stop until he did. It was just like when he had first met her. She had tried to keep him away, said she wasn't interested, but he won her over, and he would again. Come to think of it not too many were very keen about him getting together with Lulu the first time around. So really what did it matter if they approved now.

It was New Year's Eve and Dante was working. He didn't mind, he had volunteered. Michael was off with a few friends and Kristina. There would be no one at home to ring in the New Year with. He was better off keeping busy. And he was busy, god people acted stupid on this holiday. There wasn't much need for detective work per say, but he was chipping in anywhere he could. Following up on traffic accidents, helping the patrolmen break up out of control parties and drunken brawls.

By the time he got home it was well after 3am, and he could barely even get his shoes off. Dante flopped down on to his bed welcoming sleep, but it didn't come. He tossed and turned for what seemed like forever. When he was working he could shut down, not think about her. Not think about the fact that he hadn't seen or heard from Lulu in seven weeks, two days and, 19 hours.

They had had a quick breakfast at Kelly's before heading to work. It was simple, so routine that they hadn't even really talked. So comfortable with each other, that no words were really needed. He had given her a quick peck before leaving for the station. He wished a million times over that he could go back and change that morning. He may not have been able to keep the secrets from coming out, he may not even have been able to stop her from leaving. But he should have given her a proper kiss. He wished he had walked out with her, pulled her tight and kissed her with all the passion he felt for her.

They had spoken later in the day, just a quick phone call to check in. He had been busy and hadn't stayed on the line long. Did he remember to tell her he loved her? He always said it before he hung up, but now he couldn't remember. He would change that too if he could. He would have spoken to her longer, and made sure to tell her how much he loved her.

But that's the thing about last kisses, and conversations, you don't know it's your last until it's too late to do it right.

He use to think a these things all the time, now all he thought about was getting her back. He didn't want to think about their last kiss, he wanted to think about their next kiss. He was going to find her and just as before he would win her over. He even had some new pick-up lines, he knew she loved those.

He just needed to find her. No one was much help in that department. He knew that Maxie and the Spencer clan knew where she was, but they had closed ranks and weren't giving in. If asked, Maxie would lie and say Lulu had gone to visit her mom in Paris. That he knew wasn't true because he had checked with immigration and they had no record of her leaving the country. And even though it wasn't exactly legal he was keeping a watch on her bank account and cell activity.

That was getting him nowhere fast. Lulu had made a large withdrawal the morning after she left, and hadn't used her cell phone or account since then. She was off the grid. Dante suspected that Lulu had spent way too much time with Spinelli, she knew just how to cover her tracks. Of course Spinelli could probably find her, but he wasn't helping. When Dante had confronted him, he had just spewed something about 'the deceptive one, and his karma paying him in full'.

That didn't mean Dante was giving up, he knew she was laying low and eventually she was bound to let some clue of her location slip. Dante told himself he could wait; he could give her the time she needed.

But with each passing day he found it harder and harder to listen to himself. He missed her desperately, wanted nothing but to have her back in his life. The holidays had been hard without her. He had spent Christmas with his Ma. It was nice, she had plied him with food and said all the things he wanted to hear. That Lulu still loved him and if he gave her time they could work it out.

That hadn't stopped him from thinking about last year's Christmas though. He had spent it with Lulu and her family. She had seemed so happy that he had come to get her, but that might have had more to do with the screaming he had heard as he came down the hall. Maxie and Spinelli were having it out. And even though at the time they weren't a "couple" it had felt right for him to be with her, to share that holiday together.

Now it was officially the New Year, 2011. He had a lot of work ahead of him if he was going to find her, and win her over again. Maybe tomorrow he would try his luck with Nikolas. Nikolas was not really his biggest fan, but he seemed like a reasonable guy. Maybe Dante could get something out of him.

Even as he thought it, Dante knew it wasn't likely that Nikolas would help him. But he wasn't giving up he would beg, plead and bargain if need be.

Happy Friggin New Year to him!

*** Thanks so much for all the reviews, I hope you all aren't getting to restless. I have a plan and I hope you will enjoy the journey to our happy ending!


	5. Chapter 5

Hindsight chap 5

She was a coward, a chicken, a wimp. It had been almost three weeks since she had decided to call Dante to tell him about the baby. But every time she had reached for the phone she would chicken out. She felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest. What was she going to say anyway? "Yeah, so I know I haven't seen or spoken to you in eight weeks, and I truly hate you, but we're having a baby."

Somehow that didn't sound like a very fun conversation, really it was the last thing she wanted to do. Especially since she had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't be able to stick to her plan, that the second she heard his voice she would crumble and go crawling back to him.

About a week ago Nikolas had come home to say he had run into Dante. Nikolas said Dante was asking about her. He didn't know she was at Wyndemere, but had implored Nikolas to tell him where she was, how he could get in touch with her. Her ever loyal brother had given him the brush off, but was wondering if she didn't want to at least speak to him. Dante had seemed very concerned and it may be time to tell him about the baby.

Lulu was actually a bit surprised that Dante had approached Nikolas. Sure, she knew that he would go to Lucky, Ethan, and maybe even her dad. But he hadn't had many dealings with Nikolas and seemed to prefer to keep his distance.

Lulu had gone back to her room intent on calling him, but again she sat starring at the phone. Willing herself to pick it up. It would be so easy, his number was on her speed dial and he would surely answer once he saw her number on the caller id. Yet she couldn't make her hands move, and it felt like her mouth was filled with sawdust.

Since then everyday Lulu had woken up telling herself that this was the day, and then continued to prove herself wrong. So yeah she was a huge coward.

Later that afternoon Maxie arrived for a visit, bringing with her news about big changes at Crimson. Jax had insisted on creating a job for Brenda, as new Co-Editor in Chief. Kate was furious! Maxie said she had never seen her so mad, she was sure that at any moment Kate's head would just burst into flames. Maxie was likewise not thrilled with this new arrangement.

And to make matters worse Jax and Brenda had decided to hold a enormous party to kind of "re-christen" the new and improved Crimson magazine. Lulu felt nauseous, and was pretty certain it had nothing to do with her morning sickness. Brenda was still running amuck in her life, even if Lulu had decided to not to be part of it.

The only solace Lulu could find in the news was that Carly was probably fit to be tied over Jax's decision to employ Brenda. Good, she hoped that Carly was lying awake at night wondering where her husband was.

After Maxie left, Lulu made up her mind to call Dante, but not until she was safely far away in Arizona. She was sure that she didn't want to hear from him right now. This news about Brenda had really gotten to her, and she was more determined than ever to start over out west. If she called Dante he might be able to change her mind, then she would be stuck here watching Brenda wreak even more havoc in her life.

A few weeks later, as Lulu was nearly ready to leave for Phoenix, she began to notice some pretty strange pregnancy symptoms. There was the vomiting of course, crazy mood swings, weird cravings, but now she was even becoming paranoid. The last few times that Lulu had snuck into the city to get a check-up at Mercy, she had the feeling that she was being watched. As she had walked through the underground parking lot, she had felt it. That shiver that ran up your spine, a little tingle that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

She had cautiously looked around and hadn't spotted anyone, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. Her Spencer instincts were never wrong. But each time as she headed back to Spoon Island, Lulu began to wonder. She hadn't seen anyone, no one except Nikolas knew she was there. It was probably nothing, just another crazy symptom of hormonal imbalance. Man this baby was really messing with her head.

**Hi Lante fans, I hope everyone is doing alright after Tuesday's show. I can't believe that Dante just lied straight to Lulu's face! Anyway sorry this chapter is a bit shorter, but I couldn't add anymore without it getting too far off base. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys make my day!


	6. Chapter 6

Hindsight Chap 6

Dante was exhausted. He was sure he could sleep for the next three years and still be tired. He had never felt this bad before. There had been times in his life when he was physically tired, like when he was still a rookie cop. When he spent his days running after petty thieves and walking the streets, his body would ache and some days he could barely keep his eyes open.

But these days it was more than that. He felt physically and emotionally wiped. His mind would race all day and all night. He couldn't stop it; he could only manage it by focusing his thoughts on work, so he did.

As the weeks had passed on with no word from Lulu, he had slipped into what could only be called depression. He felt like a high functioning alcoholic. He was fooling everyone. He could go all day without letting on how much he missed her, had badly he needed her back. As long as he worked he didn't feel much.

Then at night after Michael fell asleep, with no other distractions, he felt it all come back for him. It was almost like a heavy fog that would settle over head. He couldn't even smell her on the pillows anymore. All he had were a few items he kept hidden under his pillow, a picture of them together, and her one abandoned earring.

So he worked. He was sure Mac was in love with him these days. He was a machine Mac would say, as Dante volunteered for more and more double shifts and asked for more cases. The one thing Dante hadn't volunteered for was extra security for the big Crimson Party the next Saturday. He wanted nothing to do with that one.

But Mac had insisted, he wanted his best men on that party. Both Maxie and Robin were going to be there along side Port Charles' finest criminals Sonny Corinthos, Jason Morgan and John Zaccahara. So Mac wanted reassurance that his family and other innocent Port Charles residents wouldn't once again get caught up in mob violence.

Now it was just three days away, and Dante was thinking about faking a root canal. He would actually go through with it, if need be. Having his teeth drilled sounded infinitely more fun than the Crimson party. Especially since it would also be attended by some people that were not too fond of him right now. Most of Lulu's family was going to be there, the Quatermaines, and Spencers coming to show support for Brenda.

Beyond being around people whose feelings towards him ranged from disinterest to full on hate, he didn't want to be anywhere near the Crimson offices, or Brenda. Both were constant reminders that he had lost a huge part of his soul, Lulu. Of course the party wasn't in the offices really but in the Metro Court's main ballroom, which to Dante was close enough.

Dante did get a small delight over the fact that Carly was furious with Jax about the party and Brenda's new job. Jax had once again moved out of their home, but he wasn't staying at the hotel. He had gone so far as to sublet an apartment, which gave a more permanent feel to the situation. He was glad; almost down right ecstatic that Carly was getting a taste of her own medicine. She had stopped at nothing to drive a wedge between him and Lulu and now she was as lonely as he was. With quite a few enemies of her own, Dante had even heard through the grapevine that Jason and Sonny hadn't been too pleased with her latest stunt. Even Luke had had a few choice words for her, about her treatment of family. That was the good and bad thing about Port Chuckles, there was always some really good gossip going around.

Yet this happiness over Carly's distress was like a band aide over a bullet hole. He dreaded the party more and more each day and longed for some excuse to get out of it. What could he hope for? An armed robbery? A mass casualty accident? Was it wrong for him to pray for these things just to avoid a party? He really should make sure to go to church this week and make a few hundred confessions if there would be any hope for his soul.

Without even a chance to blink, Saturday snuck up on Dante. He spent the afternoon willing his body to develop a severe infection. He took his temperature a few thousand times, always in the normal range. His blood pressure was a bit high, but he doubted it was enough to convince Mac he needed to stay home. Grudgingly Dante got dressed. He slipped his gun into his shoulder holster and put on his nice black suit, then he and Michael left for the party.

Once inside Michael took off to see his father and Jason, and Dante slipped into the farthest corner. He would do his job, but from a safe distance. He positioned himself so he could see the whole floor but away from the group where not many would wonder. As Dante watched over the crowd, he felt sick. He saw Maxie darting around with her new second assistant, watched Kate and Brenda make small talk and mingle. No one took much notice of him and he was very grateful.

All in all it was amounting to a very boring night for him, and really anyone not into high fashion. "Might as well be a dental convention", he mumbled to himself. Famous last words, there was an elevator making its way to the ballroom. Trouble would be arriving shortly.

Hi Lante fans, another sucky episode for our couple today. I hope this chapter turned out okay, I woke up with the flu this morning, and right before my vacation :( Anyway I wanted to make sure to update for you guys, but it wasn't easy in the lovely medicine haze I've got going. Hope you enjoy, more fun to come.


	7. Chapter 7

Hindsight Chp7

The days were slipping by quickly for Lulu. It was almost time to leave for Phoenix. Nikolas had arranged for them to fly on his jet into Arizona. Lulu was pleased to know that her name wouldn't be showing up on any flight manifests. She was determined to make it to Arizona before speaking to or seeing Dante again.

There were so many last minute things to do. She had with Nikolas' help found a small house to rent and an entry level secretarially job. It wasn't much but it would be enough to get her started.

On the morning of Saturday the 15th Lulu woke up with a sense f dread in her stomach. She spent the morning convincing herself it was just a touch of sadness about leaving her home, her family. She loved them and would miss them very much. But she wanted to start over, to make a new life for herself and her baby. There were too many bad memories here, too much hurt.

By lunch time Lulu was distracted by a visit from Maxie. Talking a mile a minute as she usually did Maxie complained about everything. The big party that night, how nothing was right and how Kate had made her work non-stop for the past three days trying to make sure this party went off without a hitch. Maxie insisted that Lulu help her pick out the perfect dress for the event, while blabbering on about Lulu's replacement. It kind of amused Lulu how upset Maxie was with her new second assistant. Apparently the new girl had trouble getting all of the errands done correctly in a decent amount of time. Something that was like second nature to Lulu.

By early afternoon Lulu escorted Maxie back to the pier on the launch. Maxie had last minute planning and setting up to supervise and Lulu had her final doctor's appointment in Port Charles. It really wasn't a true appointment. Her doctor had really just wanted Lulu to come in one final time before leaving to ensure she was okay to travel and to give Lulu her medical records to take to her new doctor in Phoenix.

As Lulu and Maxie walked to the car, she felt it again. The feeling of being watched, she stopped and looked around but couldn't see anyone. "What's wrong?" Maxie asked

Lulu just shook her head and climbed into the car.

As they drove across town to the hospital Lulu asked Maxie if she thought Dante knew where she was, or about the baby. Maxie didn't believe so since he had continued to ask about her whenever she saw him.

Oh well, she really was becoming overly paranoid. Nikolas' driver dropped Lulu off first so that she wouldn't be late for her appointment. Lulu gave Maxie a hug and promised to call her the next day to hear about the party, even though she didn't really want to hear about it, she wanted to be a supportive friend to Maxie. After all Maxie had been a wonderful friend to her over the last few weeks.

As Lulu walked into the hospital she felt that little tingle again, ignoring it she walked on. Her appointment went as expected she talked with the doctor a bit and was given a copy of her medical records. She thought about asking about her feelings of paranoia, but didn't want to sound crazy. She thanked her doctor and made her way to the parking deck. The driver was supposed to meet her there after dropping off Maxie.

In one of the far spaces Lulu saw the car and walked toward it. She felt a chill and pulled her coat tighter around herself. That was a good thing about winter, if anyone did see her she was able to hide her ever growing baby bump under her winter coat. It still wasn't much, but she was sure people would notice it. Maxie had even affectionately patted her belly when she had greeted Lulu earlier.

As Lulu got closer to the car she felt like something was off. Normally the driver, Eric, would get out of the car when he saw her approaching. Maybe he wasn't paying attention. Lulu slowed her pace and looked around; nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When Lulu was almost to the car she noticed that she didn't see Eric sitting inside it. Had he gone inside to get her? She peered through the window, and jumped back in shock.

Eric was in the car, but slumped over across the seat. Lulu was just reaching for the door handle when she was grabbed.

In an instant a hand was over her mouth preventing her screams, and she was being drug away. Lulu tried to kick and fight, but she was held tight by a very large and strong man. Still struggling Lulu heard a screech of tires as a van roared up beside them. The door swung open and the man pulled her inside.

Thrown to the floor Lulu tried to pull free, but was held still by another set of arms. She felt herself being pulled upright and made eye contact with one of her captors. The tires squealed as the sped off. The man that Lulu was looking at was hideously scarred. It looked almost like he had been in a fire. He looked her up and down then smiled.

"It's very nice of you to join us Ms. Spencer, I so looked forward to meeting you." Before Lulu was able to really take in her situation a cloth was pulled tight across her nose and mouth. Lulu struggled, what was that smell? Chloroform, as she felt her eyelids grow heavy and sleep over take her, she knew she was in trouble.

When Lulu came to she was being pulled across another underground parking lot. She was very dazed, but felt like she was somewhere familiar. Still feeling very groggy Lulu was pushed into an elevator with the burned face man. He pulled her next to him, and she noticed that her hands were bound in front of her by duct tape.

"It's really a shame that we had to meet this way Ms. Spencer, but you are just what I need to get what I really want. Yes, you and your baby will come in very handy. The man pushed Lulu into the corner of the elevator and pressed a gun to her cheek. Lulu stilled when she felt the cold metal against her face.

The man pulled another piece of duct tape from his sleeve and used it to cover her mouth. "Now, Ms. Spencer don't try anything stupid, if you are a good little hostage you and your baby may get out of this alive" Then the man pulled her to stand beside him in front of the doors, as he continued to press the gun to her cheek. Lulu watched the elevator rise and it finally hit her. They were in the Metro Court, heading for the ballroom.

*** Duh, Duh Doom, Here comes trouble! Yeah so I will admit I have been watching soaps for the better part of 15 years now, and my mind is seriously warped because of that. I had always imagined a very soapy turn for this story. Hope you guys enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

Hindsight Chp8

As the party had dragged on, boring Dante more and more his mind began to wonder. He thought about what the paperwork that was waiting for him at the station, he wondered about maybe taking a vacation, then he began to mentally compose a shopping list.

Dante heard the ding as the elevator opened onto the floor, but didn't look up right away.

Suddenly a shot rang out. Through the screams, as he watched the party quests dive to the floor. Dante grabbed for his gun and angled himself to face the elevator, while shielding his body behind a large planter. "Damn it!" he swore as he realized he had an obstructed view of the elevator. He couldn't see what was going on. He could only see other guests in the room.

From his position Dante could see Jason, Lucky, and Sonny, all with their guns trained on the person who had come from the elevator. They weren't moving, weren't attempting to take a shot. What was going on? He would have to get into a better position.

"Nobody move! Or I'll kill the girl!" a man shouted. "Great a hostage" thought Dante.

"I only want Brenda, turn her over and everyone lives."

Still unable to see much beyond half of the elevator door, Dante looked to the others to get a read on the situation. Jason had his stone face set on the man, Lucky's jaw clenched as his stance wavered. He was considering lowering his gun. Then Dante made eye-contact with Sonny. In a weird father-son moment, Dante realized that something was terribly wrong.

With his gun still ready, he moved out behind his secure location, opening himself to a direct shot, in order to get a better view.

What he saw made his blood run cold. There she was, the woman he loved, the woman he had been searching for, for so long. Lulu was standing right in front of him. She was held tight across the shoulders by the man wielding the gun. Currently the man had the gun pressed firmly into Lulu's neck.

Dante thought about dropping his gun. He couldn't let her get hurt, he wouldn't risk it. He felt his gun shake in his hands. Lulu was scared he could tell. Her eyes were closed and he saw tears streaming down her face.

Dante's heart shattered into a million pieces, seeing her there, so close, and yet so close to being taken from him again.

Dante dragged his eyes away from Lulu to look into the face of the man that held her. The Balkan, he wasn't dead, he had been badly burned, but had not died in the explosion, as everyone had thought.

Why did he have Lulu? Why would he use her as a hostage to trade for Brenda? Where had he found her? Dante cursed himself for not finding her first.

Dante looked back to Lulu then. Her eyes were open now and she was staring dead at him. When his eyes met hers, her lip trembled and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. He felt like she was trying to tell him something but he couldn't read her. She was afraid, and he was too.

***Lulu POV***

As the elevator had arrived to the ballroom and the doors slid open, the man holding her had pulled her tighter. Wrapping his one arm tight across her shoulders and under her chin, almost chocking her, he pulled the gun away from her for just a moment to fire a shot into the roof of the elevator. Announcing their arrival.

He pushed them out of the elevator then, but the doors didn't close. He had pulled the emergency stop button. Once again he turned his gun on her, this time pressing it tightly into her throat.

After hearing the gun shot most of the quests had screamed and dove to the floor. Lulu saw her brother, Jason and Sonny instead had drawn their guns and had them aimed directly at her and her captor.

Lulu felt a wave of nausea wash over her, and closed her eyes to keep from getting sick. She felt tears prick her eyes and roll down her cheeks.

"Nobody move! Or I'll kill the girl! I only want Brenda, turn her over and everyone lives." The man had yelled. More tears. Lulu knew that Jason and Sonny would never turn Brenda over.

Wait! He wanted Brenda? Why?

It hit Lulu like a ton of brinks, and her eyes flew open. This man was the Balkan. He wasn't dead like everyone thought. He must have been following her for weeks, the eyes she had felt watching her.

She saw Dante then. She wasn't sure where he had come from but there he was right in front of her, starring right into her eyes. She felt more tears run down her cheeks as she saw the fear in his eyes, saw the slight shake of his hands.

The Balkan yelled a few more demands, but Lulu couldn't make out what he was saying over the thudding of her heart. Why had he stalked her? Why did he need her?

As if the Balkan could hear Lulu's thoughts he provided the answer. He pulled the gun away from her neck, still holding her tight, he pulled her coat to the side. Pressing the gun into her belly, pointing it at her baby.

"How about I just shoot the baby then? Brenda comes with me, and the girl and her bastard live"

Lulu watched as this information sunk in for Dante, Lucky, Jason, and Sonny. Of course, it was almost perfect. By grabbing her, the Balkan held something over almost all of their heads. He was threatening the life of a sister, a girlfriend, a child and a grandchild.

Slowly the other men in the room lowered their guns. Dante looked so pale, Lulu worried he may pass out.

Sonny was the first to speak.

"If you harm her, or my grandchild you won't make it out of here alive. We're not giving you Brenda. The best outcome for you right now would to let Lulu go, get back on that elevator and run. Because I swear I will be hunting you down."

"Mr. Corinthos, I don't believe you are in much of a situation to make demands. As you can see I have the upper hand. I am holding the lives of some dearly loved people, and I will get what I came for. Where is Brenda? Bring her to me now!"

Lulu searched the room for Brenda, but couldn't see her. Max or Milo must have pulled her to safety when the first shot rang out.

The Balkan was becoming impatient and was pushing the gun further into her stomach. Lulu winced in pain, and worried for her baby.

'Stop it!' she told herself. They were at a stalemate. They weren't going to hand over Brenda and they had lowered their weapons, not willing to take the risk of trying to shoot the Balkan as he held her so tightly.

'You are going to have to save yourself Spencer.' Lulu scanned the room again and locked eyes with her father. She knew what she had to do; there in his eyes was her answer. He had told her what to do if she ever found herself in this situation. He had coached after Jerry Jax had held a gun to her head in this very hotel, nearly four years ago.

She just needed to make sure she did it. Right if she was going to get free it would need to be a one-two punch and she needed to make it count. If she didn't hit him hard enough she wouldn't break free and may pay for it with her life, her baby's life.

Lulu waited she needed him to be a distracted, even if just for a second. Lulu readied herself and waited for the perfect time to strike.

***Dante POV****

"How about I just shoot the baby then? Brenda comes with me, and the girl and her bastard live"

Dante watched as the Balkan pressed his gun into Lulu's side. He was confused, what did he mean by that? What baby? Dante looked closer to where the Balkan had pointed his gun, and there it was. It wasn't much but there was a bump. If there was one thing that Dante knew it was Lulu's body. He knew every inch of her; he had spent countless hours mesmerized by her body, remembering every small detail. And that bump was definitely new.

She was pregnant; there in front of him was the woman that he loved, who was carrying his child. Dante lowered his gun, as did Lucky, Jason and Sonny.

Dante felt frozen in space and time. He was shocked, and terrified in the same moment. Sensing this Sonny spoke up, threatening the Balkan on behalf of his grandchild.

Dante looked around for Brenda, Fuck this! He was saving Lulu and his baby. He would hand over Brenda and let the others deal with that. He just wanted to have Lulu save in his arms. But there was no sign of her; she must have been hidden away by Sonny's guards.

He had to do something, but what? If he tried to rush them, the Balkan would surely shoot. He couldn't get a clean shot with Lulu held tightly in front of him, and Dante wouldn't risk hitting her.

Dante looked back to Lulu and saw that she was looking to Luke. She seemed to still then. Her eyes hardened and the tears stopped. Oh God! What was she going to do?

Before Dante could think anymore about it, he saw something move from the corner of his eye.

It was Brenda, she must have slipped free. She was offering herself.

"Let her go, I'll come with you, just let her go." Brenda edged slowly towards the Balkan and Lulu. There were shouts of protest from Sonny and Jason, but Brenda moved slowly forward.

It happened then. Lulu took her opportunity. The Balkan having seen Brenda, was watching her closely, as she approached them. Momentarily distracted he had lowered his gun just slightly and loosened his grip on Lulu just a bit.

Without warning or signal, Lulu had swung her head directly back cracking the Balkan directly in the nose. It was the nastiest snapping sound as the Balkan's nose broke. Without faltering Lulu used her now free arms to swing back and elbow him in the ribs. She slammed her arm so hard into his side that the Balkan stumbled back three or four steps.

Once completely free from his grip she dove to the floor, as a shot rang out then another. Jason had been the quickest, as Lulu had moved clear, he shoot the Balkan twice right in the chest.

As if in slow motion Dante watched as the Balkan dropped to his knees and fell onto the floor.

He was moving then, before Dante knew it he was beside Lulu pulling her into his arms, holding her tight. She was crying again, but she leaned into to him and allowed him to hold her.

Lucky, Jason and a few cops moved in on the Balkan ensuring his demise.

Sonny came to Dante and Lulu and cut her hands free as; Dante pulled the tape from her mouth. Once freed Lulu threw her arms around Dante and held on tight. She was still crying, but now so was Dante. Lulu was finally back in his arms, safe and sound.

Luke and Sonny had pulled them to their feet a few minutes later and ushered them downstairs to a waiting ambulance. Despite Lulu's protests of not needing medical attention they climbed into the back and rode off towards General Hospital.

Dante looked down at her as they made their way to the hospital. They would have a lot to talk about, but right now there was only one thing to say.

"I love you Lulu"

"I love you too"

***** Hello Lante Lovers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had originally thought of making it into two, but I just couldn't stop writing I'm not sure if I want to add anymore chapters, but I will at least add an epilogue. I really hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Let me know how you think it turned out. I knew that the Balkan wouldn't just die in an explosion; he was way too much of a soapy villain to die the first time around.


	9. Chapter 9

Hindsight chp9

***Hey Guys, sorry to have taken so long to update. I've been away on vacation. I spent a lovely couple of days in Oman, and while it was wonderful, sadly there was really no internet access. But with a lot of free time on my hands I was thinking about this story and I think there is at least a little more to come. So I hope you guys enjoy ***

Dante watched her through the hospital room window. He felt truly helpless, as he stood waiting for the doctors to finish checking her over, he just wanted to hear that she was alright. From her exasperated expression and her constant objections to the doctors tests and treatments, he was fairly certain she was okay, but he still wanted a medically trained professional to make sure that she and the baby were just fine.

Baby, that still felt strange. She was pregnant, carrying his child. Even through the frumpy hospital gown he could make out the tell-tale bump. He felt giddy with excitement and terrified at the same time. Was he ready to be a father? That felt like such an adult thing to be, and most days he didn't fell much like an adult. Yes, he had a job and his own place, but he often felt like he was still a child, that he was fooling everyone with his grown-up act.

As Dante continued to watch the doctors work, he thought back over what had happened in the Metro Court's ballroom. He remembered the fear of watching the Balkan hold a gun to the most important part of his life. He had very mixed emotions over the whole thing. He was furious, angry at himself for letting Lulu slip away and become a target. Pissed that the Balkan had dared to point a gun in her direction, but he was also still scarred. He still felt the remnants of the panic he felt watching Lulu scarred for her life, for their baby's life, while he could do nothing.

But then she had taken care of herself, just like she always did, Lulu took control of the situation and saved herself. Dante almost laughed now, thinking about how she had head butted and elbowed her way free. That was one of the things he really loved about her, she wasn't one of those helpless girls who would lose their head in a bad situation. No, Lulu stayed focused and got the job done.

Brenda had nearly lost her mind when she was attacked by Alexander and forced to defend herself, but not Lulu. When Lulu had pulled free of Dante's arms in the ballroom she was pissed. She damn near went after the Balkan again. She had cursed the whole way down to the ambulance about how she was going to make him pay for touching her. Dante had agreed whole heartedly, but it wasn't Lulu who would make him pay. Dante wasn't letting him anywhere near Lulu again. The Balkan should just cross his fingers and pray that Dante didn't come across him in a holding cell at the PCPD.

Finally, Dr. Lee came out to report that Lulu and the baby were fine. Lulu's blood pressure was a bit elevated, but considering what she had been through that was to be expected. Dr. Lee wanted to keep her overnight to ensure that her pressure didn't get any higher.

After speaking with the doctor Dante cautiously entered the room, Lulu refused to make eye-contact with him. In the ambulance he had told her that he still loved her, and she had returned the sentiment, but now he could tell that she had decided to be mad at him again.

Determined as ever, Dante made his way slowly to the side of her bed and carefully sat down on the edge. He took Lulu's hand in his own and was pleased when she didn't pull away.

"I wish you had told me about the baby."

"Why should I have? It's not like it's any of your business" Lulu spat.

"How is our child none of my business?"

Lulu fixed an icy stare on him for a few seconds before responding. "Who says it's your baby?"

"Don't do this Lulu. We both know that this is my baby." Dante placed a gentle hand on Lulu's belly. "I know that you love me, that you were not unfaithful."

Dante watched as a single tear rolled down Lulu's cheek. She took a shaky breath before speaking again.

"I was going to call you when I got to Phoenix."

"Why would you go to Phoenix?"

"Dante, I need a fresh start. I need to get away from here. I want to make a new life for myself, for my baby. Everything here reminds me of something painful."

"I know that you are hurt right now Lulu, that you're angry with me, but this is my child too and I want to be a part of his or her life. I grew-up without a father and I would never let my child experience that."

"I'm not saying that you can't be a father to this baby, you can still be there for him. You'll just be a long distance kind of dad."

"Him? Is it a boy?"

"I haven't found out really, I just have this feeling that it's a boy."

Dante felt so overwhelmed, a boy, he would have a son. Now Dante felt tears prick his eyes. He knew no matter what, he was going to keep his family together. He would convince Lulu to stay, and he would never let them out of his sight again.

"Dante, I'm tired. I need to sleep." Lulu's soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Okay, but I'm going to stay. I need to know that you're alright, that my son is alright."

Lulu must have really been tired, because she didn't even try to argue. She just nodded her head and slid over a bit and rolled onto her side.

Dante was feeling really tired himself. He looked down at Lulu for a few minutes, before reaching up and pulling the cord for the light. The room grew a bit darker, though light still came in from the hallway.

Dante wasn't sure if he was pushing his luck but, he too lay down on the bed beside Lulu. He laid on his side and pulled Lulu towards him a bit. Wrapping a protective arm around her stomach, he felt her tense for a minute, but then settle into his embrace.

Dante quickly fell asleep and for the first time in months he slept through the night. Everything was right with the world when Lulu was in his arms.

** Okay, so a little wooing will be needed to convince Lulu to stay, and Dante's gonna need to work hard to keep her. Hope you guys enjoyed it. P.S – I love reviews 3


	10. Chapter 10

Hindsight chapter 10

The next morning when Lulu had awoken in the hospital Dante was gone. She wasn't really sure how she felt about that. She knew she wanted some time alone to think, but she had also thought that he would still be there. Lulu pushed herself up in the bed, and gasped in pain. Her whole body hurt, and she felt weak all over.

Just then Elizabeth came in, "Let me help you sit up Lulu, Dr. Lee said that you might be sore. The way that you were grabbed and all the adrenaline did a number on you."

Lulu accepted Liz's help. She really needed to pee and wasn't sure she could make it to the bathroom on her own. Once she was back in bed. Liz sat down on the side of the bed and gave her a questioning look.

"What?" Lulu knew she was about to get the third degree.

Liz had then set into a long line of questions about her feelings, the pregnancy, and her prenatal care. Lulu knew that a lot of those questions could have been answered by simply reading her chart. Dr. Lee had requested her medical records from Mercy already. But she also knew Liz still felt a bit like her older sister and wanted to hear the answers from Lulu.

They talked for awhile, about everything. It really helped to make Lulu feel more at ease. It was nice to talk to another woman about what was happening to her. Yes, she had talked with Maxie, but she hadn't _really_ talked to her about it. Lulu knew that pregnancy and babies were not really Maxie's cup of tea. But Liz had been through it before, three times, and she was a very sympathetic listener.

Soon an orderly came in with her breakfast and Liz had said that if Lulu promised to eat most of that disgusting hospital food, that she would go find out when she could be discharged.

But Lulu was not sure if she could follow through, the food was really bad. She pushed the tray away, and looked around the room, trying to find a place to stash it.

"Not good is it?"

Lulu looked up to see Dante standing in the door way holding a large brown bag.

"What?"

"The food, it's not very good is it? I should know I've definitely eaten my share of GH food."

Dante had that sly teasing smile on his face and Lulu couldn't help but smile a little too.

"I brought you some breakfast from Kelly's, and Liz gave it the okay."

Lulu felt herself blush a little, she loved that Dante knew what she wanted, and was trying to take care of her.

It was wonderful to have Kelly's again. Lulu hadn't been there in so long. She had lovely food prepared for her at Wyndemere, but Kelly's food was different. Mike made everything feel like home cooking. Where as the cook on staff at Wyndemere, prepared foods that were more like fine dining to Lulu.

Dante had even snuck her in a small cup of coffee. "Ma says that a little caffeine, won't hurt. And I knew you must be joesing for some"

Lulu just smiled and took it. Coffee was exactly what she needed.

They chatted a bit while Lulu ate, not really talking about anything. Dante talked about Michael and his relationship with some girl named Abby. Lulu was happy for Michael, but this Abby sounded a bit too old for him.

Just as she had finished her breakfast Dr. Lee had come in to say that she was prepared to release Lulu, as long as she was going to stay with someone. She said that Lulu would be stiff and sore for awhile and would need some help getting around. She also didn't think it would be best to return to Wyndemere, seeing as the launch ride may be too rough on her right now.

Dante had fixed a giant grin on her then; he thought she was going to go with him!

"Settle down Falconeri, I'm going to go back to stay with Maxie at my apartment."

"You absolutely will not!" Tracy exclaimed as she and Luke made their way into the room.

Dr. Lee, sensing the ensuing battle, excused herself to prepare Lulu's release forms.

"Lulu you will not be going anywhere but back to the Quatermaine Mansion with us. Tell her Luke."

Tracy seemed deadly serious and Lulu could see she had convinced her father of this too.

Lulu gave her father her best puppy dog, I don't want to go to the Quartermaine's look, but it was to no avail.

"Now Cupcake, you know right now it would be best for you to be with family. Maya will be around to help and Alice is getting a room ready for you on the ground floor, so you don't need to climb the stairs. She would be so upset if you didn't come."

"Don't you think that Lulu should come stay with me, you know since I am the baby's father?" Dante questioned.

Soon an argument broke out between Luke, Tracy and Dante about where Lulu should stay. This was just great. They were arguing over her, as if she was some possession and acting like she wasn't even in the room.

"Enough!" Lulu called over them. She was feeling tired again and really just wanted to go back to sleep.

"I'll stay at the Quartermaine's." Lulu knew she would probably come to regret this decision. But at least right now it seemed like the best option. Maxie wouldn't be able to stay home from work, and Lulu would need some help to get around. There was also no way she was going to go stay with Dante.

She wasn't ready to be in such a small space with him for 24 hours a day.

Tracy had a very smug look on her face, and Dante did look a bit hurt but the decision was made.

"We'll just go make sure everything is ready, and we'll sign you out" Tracy said as she and Luke headed toward the nurse's station.

Dante went to the side of Lulu's bed and took hold of her hand. "I want you to come stay with me." He said in a soft voice, not really making eye contact.

"Dante your place is too small. You already have Michael there, and it was too crowded before. Now would be much worse. I mean look at me, I'm getting bigger everyday."

"You're beautiful, Lulu, and we can make due."

Lulu sighed, "Maybe, but I'm also not really sure where we stand right now. I'm still hurt Dante. You have to give me some time to think about what I want. I'll agree to stay in Port Charles at least in the mean time, but I can't make any promises to you right now."

Dante just nodded, the he lifted her hand to place a light kiss to the back of it.

"I'll come by to see you tonight, and we can talk more."

"Okay"

Dante let go of her hand and ran his fingers along her cheek, then he leaned down and kissed her on her forehead. As he pulled a way he paused to look in her eyes.

Lulu felt all flushed, she felt like he could read her mind when he looked at her like that.

Dante smiled and held her hand again. "I will see you tonight."

Then he got up and left.

Lulu felt colder then. She had really missed having him around. But she knew she had to be careful not to let her emotions run away. Dante was going to have to work hard to prove she could trust him again. Lulu didn't like to make the same mistake twice.

So for now she would brave the Quartermaines, and hope to get some peace and quite, while she thought about her next move.

Hi Guys! Sorry that it has been so long. It really sucks when "real" life gets in the way . Things were busy and I had some major writer's block, and it's not like the show has given us much Lante inspiration as of late. So I am pushing through on my own. I hope you all are still interested in this story, and I will be careful not to go so long without updating again. Cheers!


	11. Chapter 11

Hindsight chapter 11

Dante was a man with a plan.

Sure, when Lulu had first said that she would go stay at the Quartermaines' Dante had felt discouraged. But that wasn't going to stop him from getting her back, from making a family with her. As he had driven back to his loft he thought about everything she had said, about how close he had been to her. She had even let him kiss her on the forehead without pushing him away, which was definitely progress.

Then it hit him. He knew exactly what he had to do to show her he loved her, to prove to her that he was fully ready to commit to her and their child.

Dante's satisfied feeling hadn't lasted long, as he had an unexpected visitor, make that two unexpected visitors waiting for him at the loft, Lucky and Ethan. Suddenly Dante felt like he might be in for a repeat of the first night he had met Lulu.

"So you knocked up our sister?" Ethan clearly wasn't pulling any punches.

"It's good to see you guys too, won't you make your selves at home?"

"Spare us the niceties, Dante" Lucky had apparently taken of his 'partner hat' and put on his 'big brother hat'.

But Lucky and Dante were friends now, surely he wasn't there to fight, at least that's what Dante hoped. If there was going to be another fight Dante knew he wasn't going to fight back, and would be in for another ass kicking. Why wasn't Lulu an only child? Or why couldn't she have had sisters?

"Look guys, I know I have messed up royally"

"That's putting it mildly" Ethan was clinching his fists, was he trying to calm down, or gear up?

"Okay let's all just take a breath, and calm down. I have a plan. I am going to do right by Lulu."

Lucky crossed his arms, and quirked his eyebrows, clearly waiting to hear the plan.

"Lulu is staying at the Quartermaines' for now, but I am going to show her that I still love her and that I am ready to be a father to our baby."

A few beers and a couple hours later Lucky and Ethan seemed to be onboard with the whole thing and had only made a few references to physical pain they planned to inflict.

Once he talked everything over with Michael he would be all set.

That night Dante actually slept the whole night through. He felt a renewed sense of peace. Nothing was going to stop him from getting Lulu back.

LULU POV

Three weeks, Lulu had only been at the Quartermaines' for three weeks, it felt like an eternity.

Every morning she awoke to the sound of bickering down the hall. Good heavens couldn't these people just give it a rest?

What made her stay even lovelier was that the fighting often had to do with her. Tracy and Edward were none to thrilled that Dante had been coming around to visit her. They used every spare breath to complain about him being the spawn of Sonny, and how he had broken her heart. They really didn't know what had happened, but they did know that Lulu had left him. And to make it worse he had gotten her "in trouble".

Lulu was sure at any minute that they were going to send her off to a nunnery. She had to escape!

But how? Someone always seemed to be around, and it wasn't as easy to make sneak get away when you were 6 months pregnant.

That morning as Lulu made her way into the family room, she could hear that Tracy and Edward were fighting about ELQ. Well at least it wasn't about her.

Tracy seemed to be complaining yet again about their newest executive assistant. Apparently the new guy couldn't tell a filing cabinet from the garbage bin. Lulu snickered to herself; most likely Tracy had scared the poor guy senseless.

Lulu helped herself to some juice and a muffin without bothering to say good morning, the longer she could go unnoticed the better. It didn't last long.

Edward still in the heat of battle with Tracy, took notice of Lulu and seemed to brighten instantly.

"Why Lulu could help" he smiled in her direction

She nearly choked on her juice "Help what exactly?"

"Tracy is in need of yet another new assistant, but the temp agency has refused to send any one else to us. As Tracy has fired the last 15 new assistants in their first week" Edward now scowled heavily at Tracy.

"Lulu was a wonderful assistant to Kate Howard, she told me herself. Tracy why don't you let Lulu come and be your assistant while we work to find someone more permanent?"

Lulu felt like a deer in the headlights, she stood stock still as Tracy gave her the once over.

"But Lulu is pregnant, Daddy."

"She's pregnant not disabled. It would do her good to get out of the house for a few hours everyday, and it could mean she spends less time with that hooligan Falconeri."

Tracy nodded, "I agree. Lulu would you be able to come help out at ELQ for the next few weeks, we would of course give you a generous salary."

Edward and Tracy moved a bit closer and smiled down at her. She was trapped. "Oh okay, I guess, you know for a few weeks."

"Fabulous, get dressed we leave in half an hour" Tracy said curtly.

What had Lulu gotten herself into now? She excused herself and went to get ready.

Later that night Lulu took an after dinner stroll out into Lila's rose garden. It was only March so the flowers weren't blooming yet, but it was still very lovely.

She sat down on one of the stone benches and thought back on her day. It actually hadn't been so bad. It felt nice to be working again, and being Kate's assistant for so long Tracy didn't seem too bad. At least she didn't have to do any personal shopping or coffee runs. The best part was that Tracy had seemed very pleased with Lulu's work and had even given her a few projects to look over and give her opinion on.

"You seem happy." Dante said nearly scaring her half to death.

"What the hell Dante! You scared me, and I'm pretty sure that's not good for the baby."

Dante took a seat beside her and took her hands into his own. "I'm sorry I called your name, but you seemed lost in thought. What are you thinking about, anyway?"

Lulu told Dante all about her day and her new job, and as usual he was an attentive listener.

Dante had come to see her at almost everyday since she had left the hospital. At first she had kept him at arms length, not wanting to get to close to him again. But over the weeks, she hadn't been able to keep her walls up as much as she wanted. He was the same charming guy she had fallen in love with, and the fact that he had come to see her consistently despite the abuse he received from the Quartermaines made her feel that he still loved her as much as he claimed.

And he told her he loved her all the time, it was getting hard to distrust it, harder not to say it back.

When Lulu had finished talking about her day, she asked about his. Dante immediately began to smile. She knew he was up to something, she had seen this "cat that got the canary" smile before.

"Today I did something big. And I have a big question to ask you." Dante was being coy.

"Well out with it" Lulu couldn't help but smile herself, his grin was really contagious.

Dante didn't say anything; he just reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, and held it out to her.

Lulu felt like she couldn't breathe was this a ring? She starred down at the box for a few seconds letting it sink in. It couldn't be a ring. It was a jewelry box, but it wasn't a ring box it was too long, and too shallow.

With a slight shake in her hand Lulu took the box from Dante and opened it. A key gleamed up at her.

She didn't say anything but looked back at him with the question written all over her face.

Dante laughed now. "It's for the house I bought today" His smile was so wide it seemed to take over his whole face.

"I want you to move in with me, I want to make this house our home. The place we will raise our baby."

Lulu felt a tear slip down her cheek. He had bought them a house.

"What about Michael?"

"As long as it's fine with you, he'll still stay with us. At least until his parole is over next year. He would actually get his own room now. It's not a big house, but it has three bedrooms and a really nice family room."

Lulu liked the sound of that a 'family room' for her family. She was openly crying now, but she didn't care, she would later blame it on the hormones. She loved this man, truly loved him.

"So will you move in with me, Lesley Lu Spencer?"

"Yes" Lulu couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips, "Yes I will move in with you."

And without waiting for his reply she pulled him towards her and kissed him, letting the past few months melt away. She kissed him until they both ran out of air.

****Hi Guys, I'm back. I'm really sorry to have been away so long. Real life can really get in the way .

I want to give a big thank you to SomethingSpecial727, for supporting me and this story and giving me motivation to continue.

I hope that everyone is still interested. Also I lost my timeline a bit so forgive me if some if the dates are off. Reviews are of course really appreciated.


	12. Chapter 12

Hindsight Chap12

The next few days flew by in a frenzy of packing, moving, and arguing. It seemed that some of Lulu's family were not too keen on her moving in with Dante. Her brothers seemed to take it in stride, but Tracy and Edward had some very choice words about the situation. They complained about Dante, about Sonny, about their new home, even the neighborhood. At least her dad seemed to have no opinion on the whole thing, and if even if he did, he had chosen to invoke his right to remain silent.

Lulu didn't really see anything wrong with the neighborhood; she was just a few blocks down from Elizabeth and Robin's homes. All in all she was in love with her new house. It was just the right size and it had a warm feeling to it. She could tell that the families that use to live there had had years of love and happiness in that home.

Dante had seemed very eager to move in and Lulu was just as eager to escape the Quartermaine mansion.

It took three days, all of her brothers, Michael, Dante, Maxie and even Matt to get her packed up and moved into her new home. Mostly it was due to the fact that her stuff was spread all over the place. The majority of her things were still in her old apartment, but she also had several suitcases worth of stuff still at Wyndemere and at the Quartermaines. 

By the end of it Lulu was beginning to suspect that she might have too much stuff. They would really need to have a yard sale or something. Just the idea of that made her smile. She had a yard, where she could have a yard sale.

Sure when she was younger and not even that long ago, she had felt certain that the whole "American Dream" really wasn't for her. Just the idea of kids, a house, marriage and a white picket fence had made her feel trapped. But these days it seemed like a dream come true. She wanted her baby to have a nice place to grow up, a stable home with a yard to play in. Lord, she must be getting old.

Now here she was about to spend her first night in her new home. It had been a very long day. After everything had been moved in, no body would let her lift a finger moving furniture or doing any heavy lifting. So lucky for her she got stuck putting away the dishes and small knick-knacks. Still the day had taken it out of her, and she just wanted a nice hot bath and to crawl into bed for maybe the next 16 hours.

After everyone had gone home for the night, Dante ran out to pick up some dinner from Kelly's and Lulu decided to take her bath. It was lovely, all warm and relaxing. But, as she was getting out of the tub she caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror. She was pregnant. Sure, she was well aware of this, she had watched her body change over the last six months, and she was feeling pretty huge at the moment.

But now she lived with Dante. What was he going to think about the changes to her body? Sure he had played a big part in getting her that way, but he hadn't seen any of it yet. Lulu suddenly felt very uncomfortable in her body. As she entered her bedroom she stopped to stare at their bed.

The bed she was supposed to be sharing with Dante. She felt sick, she should have insisted on him sleeping in the third bedroom, at least for awhile. Lulu wasn't really sure if she was ready to take that step yet. She could probably ask him to sleep on the couch tonight, since they hadn't set-up any other beds yet. Even Michael was spending the night at his mom's house since his room wasn't ready.

Why hadn't she thought this through? Now she would just have to find a way to tell Dante she wasn't ready to share a bed with him just yet.

Lulu heard the door close down stairs, and Dante yelled up that he was home. She slipped on her pajamas and pulled her robe tight around her, trying to hide her body as much as possible.

When Lulu came downstairs she found him unpacking their dinner at the kitchen table, and he immediately tossed her that all too charming grin of his.

"There you are beautiful. Did you have a nice bath?"

Lulu nodded and felt some of her nerves ease at this sentiment. She was crazy, she shouldn't be nervous around Dante, he loved her, and he was the father of this baby. He would eventually see her body, and it was probably best to get it out of the way at home, you know as opposed to in three months time in the delivery room.

Dante opened the containers of food, and the smell immediately distracted her from her previous thoughts. It had just occurred to her, that she was starving.

They ate dinner, chatting and laughing about the days events. It had been a lot of fun to watch her brothers try to work together assembling the furniture. Nikolas had of course been no help, and had instead tried to supervise, much to Lucky and Ethan's chagrin.

After dinner they settled on the couch to watch some TV, but covered in her favorite throw blanket comfortably snuggled next to Dante, Lulu promptly fell asleep.

***Dante's POV****

After only about ten minutes of the local news Dante felt Lulu's breathing even out and she snuggled deep down into his side. She was out. Not that he could blame her, he was pretty exhausted too.

Dante shut off the TV and gently slipped away from Lulu to stand up. He stared down at her for a few minutes, still in awe that she was here with him, in their home. Very slowly he slipped an arm behind her neck and under her legs and carried her to their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and took off her robe and slippers.

Dante had always been amazed at how deeply Lulu slept. It was almost like she was in a coma. Good thing he was a fairly light sleeper or their poor baby would have no chance at night. After removing her robe Dante took a few moments just to stare at her. Lulu was wearing a pair of her pajama pants that rode low under her belly, which was just barely covered by her tank top.

It felt a little strange to be looking at her when she didn't know it, but this wasn't the first time he had watched her sleep, he reasoned.

He was still amazed that there was a baby in there. Lulu complained about being fat, but he didn't see it. Sure she had her baby bump, but otherwise you couldn't tell she was pregnant. She looked like the same old Lulu with a ball under her shirt. Gently Dante lifted her tank a bit further up her belly and leaned his head down to her stomach. He wasn't sure what he expected but he didn't hear much, so he gave her belly a soft kiss and pulled her top back down.

After tucking Lulu in, he decided he could use a nice long, hot shower to try and ease his strained back. Lulu had asked him to rearrange each room at least five times before she had found the arrangement she liked.

After his shower Dante slipped on his sweat pants and climbed into bed beside Lulu. She had rolled onto her side while he was in the shower, making it easy for him to snuggle up behind her and pull her close. He loved to spoon, especially when he got to be the outside spoon. He laughed a bit to himself, as Lulu also liked to be the outside spoon, and often he would wake up in the exact opposite position of what he was in now. He didn't mind really, as long as he was near her.

He slipped his arm low around her hips and pulled her in close to him. She was so warm and smelled just how he remembered. Lord, he had really missed her. Taking a deep breath in, he inhaled the scent of her hair and fell into a peaceful slumber.

***********Hi guys, this chapter took a while to get done. I got hung up in the middle for a bit, but I hope you enjoy!


	13. Chapter 13

Hindsight is 20/20 chapter 13

**** A/N- Okay fair warning this is my first attempt at a 'mature' scene, hope it turned out okay. It is only intended for adults. If you are underage, or not a fan of M material turn back now.

A few hours later Dante awoke to Lulu slipping out of bed.

"Alright, alright, I'm going" she mumbled as she made her way to the bathroom.

A couple of minutes later she returned to bed and climbed back into her spot.

"You alright?" Dante asked

"Yeah, just had to pee, the baby's dancing around on my bladder. You might want to get used to that, I have to get up to pee all the time now."

"Sounds fun."

"Yeah, it's a regular party." Lulu rolled on to her side and snuggled into Dante's embrace. Again Dante slipped his arm around her hip and pulled her close into him. Lulu didn't seem very content with her position and wiggled around trying to get comfortable.

But her moving around like that was causing Dante to wakeup in more ways than one. He felt a tightening in his groin as her hips bumped up against his. It suddenly occurred to him how long it had been since he had been with her, and how much he really had missed her. Five months without her was a really long time.

The more he thought about it, the harder he got. She was intoxicating, her smell, the feel of her warm skin pressed against his, and that ass. G-d he loved her ass. He was sure by now she could feel him pressing into her back.

He worried for a second that maybe it was too soon, but then he felt her wiggle that fantastic bum. She was responding to him and he felt all his blood rush south.

With one final coherent thought he told himself to go slow, to show her how much he had missed her, show her how much he loved her.

Dante pulled her in closer and ran his hand down to massage her butt, it was just how he remembered it. Firm yet supple, he squeezed it and leaned in to kiss her neck.

Lulu lifted up into his kisses and let out a soft moan, it was the green light and he was going for the goal. He slipped his other arm under her and pulled her over till she was mostly on her back.

Lulu grabbed his face and pulled him into a deep kiss. She ran her tongue along his lips and he opened his mouth to allow her access. While he kissed her, he ran his hands up and down her sides, finally settling on her breasts, his second favorite part of her anatomy. Gently he massaged them and rolled his thumbs over their peaks, feeling them pebble under his touch.

Dante pulled away to look down into her eyes, and she stared back into his. Her pupils were dilated from the dark, and from passion.

He leaned in and kissed down her neck and across her collar bone, down to the top of her breasts. Without removing her shirt he covered one then the other with his mouth, suckling each through the thin material of her tank top. Lulu arched her back pressing her breasts further into his mouth.

He was sure he had never been so hard. He wanted her so much, he hadn't felt this kind of urgency since their several attempts at a first time.

'Go slow, control yourself' he told himself. He reached down and pulled her top up and over her head, revealing to him those wondrous breasts. Again he returned his mouth to suckle them, pinching and lightly biting them just how she liked it.

And she did like it. Lulu's breath was becoming deeper and he could hear her beginning to pant. She lifted her hips up and ground them against his erection. G-d she was going to make him explode in his pants. Taking a deep breath he brought his lips back to meet hers and kissed her in a duel of tongues. She slipped her arms around his neck bringing her body closer to his, pressing her naked breasts into his chest.

If at all possible he felt himself grow harder, as he reached down grabbing hold behind her thighs and he pulled her hips further into his. Rubbing himself against her core. She was so warm; all he could think about was being inside of her, burying himself deep.

Trying to get closer her leaned further into her. But it felt different, something was off. Her belly. He was laying right on top of her, pressing his weight into her and onto their baby.

Now he wasn't stupid, he knew sex couldn't hurt the baby, but it just didn't feel right for him to be putting so much weight down on her. Dante pulled back and looked down into Lulu's eyes.

"What about the baby?"

"He'll be fine." Lulu said before pulling him back into another mind blowing kiss. For a moment Dante even forgot his previous worries, but he could still feel her belly pressing against him.

"Wait, wait. I don't think I should be laying on you like this."

Lulu blew out a breath and pushed him over onto his back. In a second she had flipped him over and straddled him.

"How about this?"

Good heavens he loved this woman. "I think this will work just fine" he whispered as he pulled her mouth back down to his.

Dante loved having Lulu on top of him, it was the best of both worlds really. In this position he could get a good grasp of her ass, but he also had an excellent view of her amazing tits. Lulu moved her kisses down his neck and chest, but she was getting impatient, he could tell by the way she was rocking her hips.

She was steadily grinding her center on his erection and it was becoming more than Dante could stand. She reached down and pulled at the waist of his pants. Lifting his hips Lulu pushed the pants down his legs, and with Dante's help freed him from their constraint. When his member was free Lulu reached down and grabbed hold.

Dante sucked in a hard breath as she worked her hand up and down his shaft. He felt he would cum at any second.

To distract her, he reached for the waist of her pants and began to push them down her hips. Lulu removed her hand in order to help get the garment off. When she was fully undressed, Her lips met his and her tongue assaulted his mouth. Pressing herself closer, Lulu once again reached down to grab hold of his shaft.

Dante ran his hands up her hips and grabbed her ass again. Then slowly he worked one head around to the front and reached down to cup her. Damn she was dripping wet. His hips bucked up into her grasp, at this finding.

He slid a finger along her slit reveling in her heat and moisture. Lulu's head fell back as he worked a finger in her pumping his hand slowly into her. She held tight to his member but no longer stroked it, as she became focused on his hand movements instead. Lulu bucked against his hand as his slipped another finger into her. Steadying her with his other hand on her hip, he rubbed her clit with his thumb, as he pumped his hand deeper.

Lulu cried out as she rode his hand, rubbing herself more frantically. Dante knew she was close when she grabbed his other hand and placed it on her breast. He massaged her tits while his other hand worked faster. He pressed in deeper as his thumb caressed her nub.

Suddenly Lulu went stiff, she let out a deep moan and collapsed onto his chest. He let her lay there for a moment before pulling his hand free to run along her back. He was glad she had had a release, but it was a small one, and he knew he could do better than that.

He couldn't wait any longer he needed to be inside of her. Shifting a little to the side he reached for the nightstand.

"What are you doing?" She asked

"I was going to get a condom."

"Dante, I don't think we need one. I mean I can't exactly get pregnant again."

As the realization hit him he looked into her amused eyes and couldn't help but to laugh a little. She smiled down at him then pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

"I love you, you know that right?" He asked her softly.

"I know, I love you too."

Dante pulled her in for deeper kiss as his hands ran down to her hips. He rocked her up against his straining member.

Without hesitation Lulu reached down and grabbed his shaft, lifting her hips she guided him to her entrance and pressed down.

Dante thrust up and she pushed down burying himself deep within her. He heard Lulu let out a moan of pleasure as he took a shaky breath willing himself to relax a little. She was so hot and tight, it was all he could do not to pound into her. He instead let her set the pace. Lulu began to rock back and forth, pulling off then pushing back down on to him. Impaling herself to the hilt. She rode slowly at first but quickly built up speed as her need grew.

Dante grabbed tight to her hips and helped to increase her speed. He could hardly take it, he needed to go faster, push in harder. Lulu's moans drove him on, she pushed up, and he pulled her back down rubbing her up and down as fast and as hard as he could.

Dante felt a tightening in his stomach and balls as he drove himself closer to the edge. He took one hand from her hip to grab her breasts he wanted her to go with him. Pinching her nipple and pumping his hips up into her, he felt her release as she called his name and pushed further down onto him. That's when Dante broke loose. He cam deep into her pumping his load into her.

Their pace slowed as he felt the final spasms of his release. Lulu, not bothering to pull away laid her head down onto his chest to catch her breath. Dante wrapped both arms tight around her, and kissed the top of her head.

Wow, he had missed her, missed this. It had never been better than it was with Lulu. Dante knew it was because he loved her. There really was nothing like feeling that kind of pleasure with the woman you loved, and being able to give her the same amazing release.

After a few minutes Lulu shifted her hips up and moved off of Dante. Lying down next to him she laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms tight around him. As Lulu drifted off to sleep, Dante pulled the covers up over them and thanked g-d that she was back in his arms, and he was going to make sure it stayed that way.

*******Thanks for reading, Hope you enjoyed my attempt at hawtness, it was a lot of fun to write, but a little stressful. Anyway I wanted to put this up for you all, since I am going on vacation for our end of semester break. I hope to update when I get back, as I plan to let my imagination run wild over my vacation ;) P.S- reviews make me very happy!


End file.
